a whopping 53% increase in average overtime per officer. >> it was bound to happen as we have the exodus of police officers, the overtime will continue to increase to fill the spots where an actual body should be. >> gonzales and the union say they expect overtime hours to again jump in 2013. this is also very telling. gonzales says last year, there was more demand for overtime than there were officers to fill it. what that means is many times police cars remain in the parking lot and patrol shifts were not filled on many days. raj? >> tony, thank you. within the hour, mayor reid will deliver his annual state of the city address. last year he talked about his vision for san jose which included building up many services that had been shortchanged for years. the police overtime numbers we just heard about might suggest that mayor reed failed. is that true? sam brock dusts off last year's state of the city address to see if the mayor kept his props to the people of san jose? >> raj, one thing is undeniably

true. it's been a tough last few years for the city of san jose. shrinking budgets, layoffs, pension reform. but mayor reed said last year those measures would pave the way for restoring services. now, what did we find in the mayor largely delivered on his promise, but funding it still shrank for the city's most critical services. >> is san jose finally on the rise after years of crippling cuts to core government functions? in his 2012 state of the city address, the mayor offered sympathy over some tough medicine in recent years, like cuts to the police and fire departments and pension reforms but then told the audience the physical pain would be rewarded. >> thanks to the city council willing to implement the fiscal reform plan, we can now begin discussing how to rebuild services for our residents and taxpayers, and that's good news for all of us. >> and good news for reed. in many respects he held firm on

his promise. >> and we apologize. there was obviously a technical error with that piece. we'll be following up with you though obviously tomorrow night. we're going to have a follow on the state of the stet address being made momentarily looking at exactly what types of improvements mayor reed would like for the year for the city of san jose and where we'll be moving forward in the months and years to come as the city for the first time in ten years does not have a budget shortfall. in fact, we had a $9 million budget surplus projected thus far. we'll look to see how the mayor is going to be parlaying thatting into future policy. now back to jessica and raj. >> we'll have more on the mayor's state of the city tonight at 11:00. let's switch gears and talk about the weather. ugh is the word. first the rain and now we're gearing up for what's going dob a very cold night. jeff ranieri has the very latest. jeff, what a change all of a sudden. >> a huge wakeup for a lot of

us. some of you may not have wanted it, but others are saying finally, rain drops across the a area. this time last week, we did have showers. now dropping all the way to the upper 40s and low 50s for daytime highs. we had the wave of energy this morning. the cold front pushing to the south. now you can see the next batch on the top of your screen. that is this is upper level area of low pressure ha has a lot of the instability and already produced lightning strikes off to the north. we cannot rule out a few lightning strikes for tonight even right here across the area. you can see this batch here of areas of rainfall offshore. what we're going to find is scattered areas of rain that will continue in the forecast throughout tonight. we're tracking this one here over the next hour. it is expected to move into the san francisco peninsula with moderate to heavy pockets of rainfall. it might be a scenario where you'll be driving tonight and it is dry, then all of a sudden you hit some rain. now, here's the timeline. that watch batch we just showed you on the radar is continued to

push into the east bay and south bay throughout 9:00 p.m. tonight and not only that, but we are also talking about low snow. that's going to go down as low as 2,000 feet for tomorrow morning. where we could have upwards of one inch. this many includes highway 17, skyline boulevard, mission peak and some of the usuals like mt. hamilton and mount diablo. we'll get a chance of very low snow down to sea level. rain/snow mix i should say. i'll tell you where the best chance of that is coming up. >> let's also talk about how it could be a treacherous ride for people head together sierra this weekend. chain controls are in effect on interstate 80 and highway 50. just a little reminder here. get the latest weather conditions in the sierra and your neighborhood anytime by logging on to nbcbayarea.com. >> new at 6:00, it started just as a few tents in an empty field. tonight more than 0 people are calling a san jose street corner home. we're talking about a rapidly expanding homeless encampment at

the guadalupe river park here heading and coleman. marianne fav marianne favro joins us from this location. a lot of questions and concerns about where you are. >> especially moving forward with all this cold weather. if you look behind me, you'll see what's been popping up recently, clusters of tents. the city now estimates as many as 100 homeless people are living in this park. which is why the city is scrambling to find housing for these folks. while also trying to clean up the park. >> anna is newly homeless. her dog is her only companion and her best friend is not allowed in shelters see she's decided to live here in a tent in the river park. her cooler now serves as a refrigerator. a tarp her roof. >> basically following the herd i guess is what you say. you know? i'm not familiar with really being out here. so it's all new to me.

i'm learning as i go. >> what she's learning is this location has quickly become a popular spot for other who are homeless. in the last two days, she says the campsites have doubled and each camper has his own story of how he got here. >> we're thought of as all addicts or not surviving people. all of us have situations that aren't all the same. >> homeless advocates say they've noticed the park is getting more crowded too. >> there's been an increase in the area surrounding taylor and heading. and that area i think it's probably because there was a sweep done in guadalupe river. >> still, she says this is area off center road and story continues to be the city's biggest homeless camp, a census count conducted here last week showed 160 homeless live here. however, new programs including downtown streets which offer the homeless housing and food vouchers in exchange for cleaning up their camp appear to be working. >> so that they really feel part of the community again and like they can actually move on to

lives of self-sufficiency by getting jobs so we've had hundreds of people move on to jobs and housing. >> reporter: but with city shelters filling up on cold and wet nights, san jose struggles to find long-term answers and as more people complain about what's happening here at guadalupe river park, ila knows it's only a matter of time before she and her dog will be forced to move. right now, the city is evaluating its homeless resources, but city leaders tell me they do plan to remove the tents sometime within the next three months. reporting live in san jose, marianne favro, nbc bay area news. >> thank you, mary ann. .man on the run. polices in san jose are on the lookout for a parolee who got creative and got away. they hasted anthony sanchez yesterday on hillsdale avenue. in order to cuff him, the officers had to link two sets of handcuffs together because he's a larger man. somehow he was able to slip his handcuffs from behind his back

to the front of his body. then when officers weren't looking he hopped into the driver's seat of the police van and took off. sanchez ditched the van in the neighborhood. police found the van but not sanchez. a follow-up now to a story we first brought you last month back on january 15th, jennifer araujo told police a stranger tried to pry her 2-year-old from her arms right in front of her home and later admitted that that story was a hoax. now she's facing a misdemeanor charge of falsely reporting a crime. she turned herself in this week and posted bail and scheduled to make her first court appearance march 6th. >> how much would you pay for a party? how about $5 million? big plans for a public party to celebrate the completion of the bay bridge. but the proposed price tag is raising eyebrows. after more than a decade construction on the new eastern span of the bridge is nearly complete. many think that's worthy of a huge celebration. the bay area toll authority

wants to spend $5.6 million in toll money to give the public the cans to walk across the bridge on labor day weekend before it opens to traffic. a non-profit group is also raising millions more to pay for a cycling event, fun run, fireworks and a concert. >> 280,000 folks who use the bridge every single day and who have been waiting for this to happen for a long period of time deserve a couple of days to celebrate this. >> it's a good time to do things to, you know, to rejuvenate people get their spirits up, but i can think of a lot of other ways we can do that without using public funds to have a celebration for the bridge. >> it's an interesting debate. some say they would much rather have a free toll day to mark the bridge's grand opening. toll authority will take its initial vote on spending is the $5.6 million on that celebration. they'll take that vote next week. >> well, following developing news out of southern california. an intense and mastiff manhunt continues at this hour for an

ex-police officer allegedly has gone on a deadly rampage. police believe they may be zeroing in. coming up at 6:30, we'll have the latest including the suspect's bizarre manifesto. also coming up -- >> i'm scott budman at monterrey bay aquarium with local reaction to a possible decision to put the great white shark on the endangered species list. >> and our full investigation into medical costs at bay area hospitals. investigative reporter stephen stock reveals why the same procedure may have a very different bill.

bay aquarium with local reaction

it's called a payer's bill of rights and in california, it's a law designed to help you shop for the best value in health care. >> but nbc bay area's investigative unit discovered major flaws and fluctuations in that current law. investigative reporter stephen stock found mass confusion. he is here now to set out to

give us some answers. >> jessica, under current california law, anyone can get a list of estimated prices for hospital services. what it costs you, for instance, for an emergency room visit. it was meant to allow you to compare one hospital's costs versus another for the same procedure. but we discovered a wildly inaccurate and broken system. one that makes it almost impossible for you to really know exactly how much you're going to pay for that visit to the hospital. in a perfect world, health experts say, finding and getting the best deal at the hospital should be like going to buy a car. >> what you end up paying is a bar beginning between your skill as i an consumer and the car dealer's skill as a seller. >> try doing that at any bay area hospital, and you'll find a wide variation in prices and a bill that isn't close to the one you originally were quoted. >> you're going to the hospital for something important. you don't know what it costs or

how they price it. how are you going to work out the right price for you. >> david ought to know. president and ceo of pacific business group on health. a coalition representing major companies with 3 million california employees. >> california the system does not work. flat out. you have almost no information about the actual prices paid for medical services. >> i would never go buy a car without knowing, you know, what everything's going to cost up front. >> doris schwartz works in the medical field. she's a clinical psychologist. and she knows firsthand the nightmare of trying to negotiate california's health care pricing system. >> it's been quite an adventure trying to, first of all, find a specialist who does the procedure, but then ascertaining the cost. >> ten years ago, doctors diagnosed her with liymphodemly the disease stems from hodgkin's lymphoma. now she needs surgery, surgery she has to pay for, and that's

why she's now trying to find the best value. >> we don't know the where the costs will go. will there be cost overruns? no one will quote us. >> those answers are supposed to be easily found under the pair's bill of rights. it asked hospitals to post the cost of procedures online so anyone can shop and compare. it tracks how much hospitals charge for everything from gauze to medication to surgery. it also lists average estimates of how much an uninsured patient would pay for 25 different common procedures. using that data from california's office of health planning and development, we compiled a list of those prices for these procedures at 44 different medical centers in the bay area. we found wide variations in the prices or charges for common procedures as reported by the hospitals. everything from a chess x-ray where the most expensive price is 19 1/2 times higher than the

cheapest price. to a level 48 emergency room visit where the most expensive hospital charges nearly $7,000 more than the least expensive. to a diagnostic colonoscopy where the most expensive price is listed as $5,000 higher than the average of all the other hospitals reporting prices in the bay area. >> it does not mean that a high-priced hospital is providing better services. >> dr. renee shaw serves as an emergency room physician and a researcher at the university of california san francisco. >> i think some people might be surprised to know that there isn't any regulation of what hospitals charge. hospitals basically are free to charge whatever they want based on what they feel like their costs are. >> the more we dug into the hospital pricing structure, the more we discovered that it's much like buying a car. in that people rarely pay the sticker price. >> we all know that price has nothing to do with what you're actually going to end up paying. >> while these figures might give you a rough idea of what one hospital tells the state they might charge for a

procedure, in the end, there's no way to truly know ahead of time what a patient will actually pay. >> it's almost impossible. >> mary beth shannon, market and policy monitor director for california's health care foundation, says that because insurance companies negotiate these fees with hospitals, published prices rarely apply to a single customer. >> i think it is because this has not been very transparent. there hasn't been a lot of visibility about what these different rates are, and here i mean the negotiated rates, not just the gross charges. >> it is very difficult to determine what you're going to pay. >> now, several hospitals mentioned in this report defended their prices saying those listed prices include different services, depending on the hospital. but they do agree that this confusion only confirms what we found in our story. you can go on our website to read their statements and to see a database that we put together of price comparisons for bay area hospitals for common procedures. they're all right there.

nbcbayarea.com. click on the investigative unit. raj, jessica. >> that is fascinating. thank you very much. what about this? unpaid taxes, angry investors, a trail leading to a man that kept himself one step ahead of everyone until now. tony kovaleski investigates the man to walk away from $10 million in debt and some of it is your money. an investigative unit report tonight at 11:00 on nbc bay area news. >> some of our best stories come from our tip line. here's the information to get hold of us for our unit. call us at 888-996-tips or send us an e-mail to the unit at nbcbayarea.com. >> one more time to check in with jeff. what a change, a drastic change. it seems like just when we're getting warmer, we have this huge cold front. >> a huge flip. the jet stream has sunk way off to the south. it's all the way down into southern california. there's also a ton of energy in that upper level atmosphere tonight. and that is firing off another round here of some showers and also a few thunderstorms here in

northern california. we are starting to see things pick up in intensity around coastlines. while we did have sunshine this afternoon, don't let your guard down. we are talking about not only light to moderate rain but you can see on the radar a few pockets of heavier rain picking up in the yellow and orange on that scale. this latest one close to the san francisco peninsula producing a huge downpour. ..818 inch per hour expected to move into the peninsula as we head throughout the next 30 to 40 minutes. if you're doing travelington 280 or highway 101 watch out for quickly changing conditions. there's also rogue activity out here off the santa cruz mountains moving in here to the southern peninsula throughout the next hour to hour and a half. we have the rainfall with us tonight, and we also have the bitter cold temperatures. it's in the mid to upper 40s. a little bit of wind and feeling close to the low 40s right now. let's get you outside to that live sky camera network we

showed you. that storm sitting offshore. that cloud top buildup going way up past our camera lens. you don't usually see that. that's about 20,000 feet up into the atmosphere. that's pretty juicy even here for san francisco standards. so again, watch out not only for some of those heavier downpours but possibly lightning and thunder as we head throughout the next six to eight hours. for tonight, the wave of activity moving across that we just showed you on the radar. we'll see another wave by about 11:00 p.m. with heavier pockets of rain. morning still looks like we're going to get rainfall lingering back across the east and the south bay, as temperatures are anticipated to be in the mid and low 30s so yes, this will produce some low snow. some of the usual suspects mount hamilton, skyline boulevard, and also white 17 could see anywhere from 1 to 2 inches of snowfall and then back across the east bay and the south bay where we will have those mid 30s. beat may actually get a rain/snow mix down to sea level.

so if you're up tomorrow morning and you've got shower, you want to look at that real closely and see if maybe you get a snowflake. tomorrow sunshine by the afternoon with temperatures in the low 50s. on the 3 day forecast, sun back for saturday and sunday. raj and jess, we're not going to warm it up a lot but at least we get the sun back in time for the weekend. >> i thought today was fine, as well. >> good change. >> well, a cable car crashed sent seven people to the hospital. investigators are zeroing in why the system designed to prevent it didn't work. coming up what we learned about it. >> also a cash grab at apple. the rare rebellion by a big-time investor. >> a shark shake-up casts a wide net. ym concerns about one of the ocean's predators could have an impact on scientists, fishermen and even school kids. we're back in two.

it's a worldwide issue, but it means a lot locally. many people around here are helping to determine whether the

great white shark should be classified as endangered. >> as scott budman reports, local shark fans of all ages will feel that effect. >> reporter: today, the monterey bay aquarium is full of young people, learning about undersea creatures like the hammerhead shark. in the past, they've also been able to learn about the great white shark. >> they are one of the most amazing animals in the ocean. >> helping monterey bay become a leader when it comes to studying the great white. >> everything from feeding and growth rates and how to get them to feed in captivity, how well they navigate a relatively small million gallon exhibit. >> now researchers have a different groel goal. >> white sharks get a lot of attention and this is an important question. >> trying to figure out if the great white shark should be called an endangered species. so they're working with local fisher anthony in track the sharks. >> fishermen occasionally catch

the white shark in their nets. and they've been forth right and extremely helpful in providing that information, providing us with an opportunity to put electronic tags to understand where these sharks are going. >> reporter: in fact, out of respect for the eventual decision, the aquarium says it will not house a great white shark here for at least the next year, there be postponing some of its in-house research. for now, changing the focus to protection even overeducation. in monterrey, psycho-scott budman, nbc bay area news. >> is it time to say bye-bye? coming up the plan to ditch the current test used to measure performance. but is it the new test really smart? we talk to the state's top teachers in tonight's class action. >> and how longing will it take? lawmakers unveil a timeline. >> somalia and who else.

>> a tense hearing on capitol hill temporarily stopped by protesters. >> and we're continuing to follow developments in southern california an ex-police officer becomes the target of a massive manhunt. we'll have the latest information and the controversial figure with bay area ties that's now linked to this case. you can't move the tv there. yuh-huh. we have a wireless receiver. listen. back in my day, there was no u-verse wireless receiver that let you move the tv away from the tv outlet. we can move it to the kitchen, the patio, the closet and almost anywhere. why would you want a tv in the closet? [ both laugh ] ♪ [ fancy voice ] brilliant idea, darling. ♪ [ female announcer ] the wireless receiver. get u-verse tv for just $19 a month for 1 year

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now to a developing story. thousands of police officers are searching for one former police officer. it's a massive two-state manh t manhunt. that ex-cop is accused of killing three people. >> police across california and nevada are searching for former lapd officer christopher dorn ersan say he's heavily armed and willing to die. he's seen here with an lapd chief bill brat tin. brat tin has been hired as a consultant for the oakland police. we're following the investigation. arturo.

>> police say dorner is considered to be a threat to all law enforcement officers. dorner himself was a los angeles police officer from 2005 to 2008 but he was fired for making false statements and now an us cooed of killing three other people and injuring two others. tonight, the manhunt for dorner has led to big bear valley. his pickup truck was found there after it had been set on fire. schools in the area were placed on lockdown and ski areas were closed as officers conduct a door to door search of every home in the area. extra officers have been posted at various checkpoints to inspect every vehicle as they drive through. now, the search for dorner involves now more than 1,000 officers statewide and within the past hour, the search has extended to dorner's former home in las vegas. police say christopher dorner's shooting spre began sunday when they believe he killed a woman and her fiance in irvine. that woman is the daughter of a former lapd captain who represented dorner in a hearing

that ultimately led to his dismissal from the la police department. >> dorner is to be considered armed and extremely dangerous. >> just before the killing spree began, dorner posted an online manifesto that contained threats to hurt several police officials and their families. parts of it says "the attacks will stop when the department states the truth will my innocence publicly. i will not accept any type of currency, goods in exchange for the attacks to stop, nor do i want it. i want my name back, period." end of quote. the los angeles police department assigned 40 units to protect various people believed to be named in the manifesto. >> of course he knows what he's doing. we trained him. he was a member of the armed forces also. it is extremely worrisome and scary. >> dorner is also suspected of shooting a police officer in corona overnight and a short time later, authorities believe he ambushed two more officers in riverside killing one and critically injuring the other.

the california highway patrol issued a blue alert for every officer in california and nevada warning them to be on high alert and noting that any one of them could be dorner's next target. >> we're going to find him. you can't have this many people looking for you and not be found. >> and again, the manhunt is now concentrating on two separate areas. big bear valley in san bernardino county and also that home in las vegas. officials add that dorner could possibly be just about anywhere. officials warn if you see him, do not approach him. just call police immediately. i'm arturo santiago. >> thank you. a valet hole family is recovering after two men in hood the sweat hurt shirts broke into their home opened fire. mcdougal street west of 80 was the location. a mother, her adult son and daughter were inside. the daughter saw the men first and tried to run but they chased

her and shot her in the hand. the son was shot in the face. the mother shot in the him. after the gunfire, the men ran. despite the severity of the injuries all are expected to survive. police say the attack appears to be random. san francisco mayor ed lee is at the front of a new push to curb gun violence standing behind a display of semi-automatic rifle anesthesia want to ban, law enforcement officers outlined plans for new records and permits regulations. seven bills aimed at tackling mental health issues along with regulating firearms will soon be introduced into the state legislature. >> capital police called in for the confirmation hearing of cia director john brennan. >> pakistan, somalia, and who else? >> all right. i'm going to asking that this room be cleared. >> intelligence committee chair woman dianne feinstein had police remove the protesters after several rowdy disruptions. they're upset about the use of

enhanced interrogation methods which they say is torture. they say the use of drone strikes on suspected terrorists is wrong. >> i think there's a misimpression on the part of some american people who believe we take strikes to punish terrorists for past france depressions. nothing could be farther from the truth. we only take such actions as a last resort to save lives when he there's no other alternative. >> 50 remote controlled drone strikes were carried out under president george bush. so far there have been 360 attacks under president obama. >> new details op a cable car accident in san francisco that sent seven people to the hospital this week. we know a bolt on the tracks brought that cable car to a grinding halt yesterday, but where did that mysterious bolt come from and why didn't the emergency system kick in before that cable carl hit the bolt? nbc bay area's joe rosa ta junior has the answers. >> san francisco's cable cars are the city's picturesque

ambassadors to visitors from around the world. but yesterday they showed one group of riders their ugly side. today inspectors from the state puc examined the tracks at powell and washington where car 25 came to an abrupt halt before hitting a bolt in the tracks. sending seven people to the hospital. today, muni officials revealed an bolt came from their own system. >> to cause -- the cause of the incident was in fact a loose bolt that came from the screw plate. >> muni said the bolt came loose from one of the 41 switches along the system, which are visually inspected every day. >> what we do now in addition to visually checking them is that at least once a week, we will tighten up all of the bolts. >> muni says its underground cables are wrapped in sense areors that normally trigger alarm when there's an obstruction on the track but

yesterday the alarm never sounded. >> the incident yesterday wasn't pick the up by the sensors because the bolt was jammed above where the sensors are. >> cable car accidents have cost the city millions of dollars in legal settlements over the years. still, many passengers say yesterday's incident won't keep them from riding. >> have i also thought that for as many cable car rides as i see every day and how long they've been doing it, it doesn't seem like it happens very often. >> muni says its two operate ares were treated and released and described the injuries to other passengers as minor. officials say they're looking for ways to modernize safety systems, at the same time maintaining the cable cars' vintage charm. joe rosato junior. >> a safe landing for the trouble withed 787 dreamliner. no problems reported today with boipg's test flight from texas to the factory in everitt, washington. you may remember though that on january 16th, the faa grounded all 50 dreamliners after two

battery fires. today the ntsb released a cause saying it was a short circuit on the lithium ion battery which caused it smoke and burn. the agency can't explain why there was a short circuit though. the dreamliner is expected to be grounded for at least another month. after the san jose airport, ana has canceled all flights to tokyo through march 30th. a sweeping immigration overhaul is taking place in the senate and it would create a ten-year path to legal residency, far shorter than the current wait which can be up to 25 years. nothing has been decided but a group of four republican and four democratic senators are now meeting twice this week. president obama wants the final bill on his desk by march. but new legislation is expected immediately to grant provisional legal status to many of the estimated 11 million undocumented work hes here in the u.s. but it would not instantly give them green cards. instead they'd have to go to the back of the line. a top investor takes on apple in a rare move.

that story just ahead. >> plus, we've seen it. california's the only state which allows it. we're talking about motorcyclists and lane splitting. tonight the chp clarifies that rule. >> and good evening. i'm jeff ranieri in the "weather center." activity picking up yet again with some heavier pockets of rain just off the san francisco peninsula. those areas of yellow and orange some heavy downpours on the way to the sunset district. also the richmond district, even downtown sf, and a weather warning tonight headed anywhere on a plane in the next two days. a developing northeast blizzard will force major airport delays.

boeing. one of apple's biggest investors is now demanding the

tech giant show investors the money. david i horn runs a fund called greenlight capital and he's suin suing. anding has $7 billion in cash reserves more than any other public company. today it responded to the lawsuit saying it will discuss ways to give more cash to investors. apple's stock jumped 3% on the news. >> now to a follow-up. it's unanimous the concord planning commission voted last night to ban outdoor cultivation of medical marin. the vote is only a recommendation to the city council. council still must make a final decision. if approved by the council, it would become city law in concord. lower fares in the south bay. the metropolitan transportation commission an awarded the santa clara transportation authority $1.3 million for a two-year pilot program that will reduce fares for low income riders. the issue was brought to the

city and county officials during a community meeting in september. the program begins later this year. >> winter not done yet. >> no. just when we thought it was maybe out of here last week with the mid-70s. >> it's back. >> 40s and 50s outside right now. also active radar. we're tracking some hev year rain on the way for the bay area at this moment. we'll let you know where there are lightning strikes in california. plus what your weekend looks like in just a few minutes. >> all right, jeff. with ravens quarterback joe flacco conspireing to cheat on the final play of super bowl xlvii? wait till you hear what he was thinking of doing? but the biggest story is down at pebble beach, the stars are out to play one of the world's most beautiful golf courses. we'll tell you if their golf games are shining next from the x fin sit sportsdesk. finity spo.

it's nerve-racking for a lot of people seeing motorcycles weave between cars when you're stuck in traffic. the maneuver is known as lane splitting. california is the only state where it's legal. and since motorcycle riding as well as motorcycle crashes are on the rise, the chp has gone online to clarify the rules of plain splitting. officers are advising cyclists only to lane split when the traffic is slow and moving less than 30 miles per hour.

chp warns some drivers even try to cut off those cyclists not realizing they're moving it legally. >> to education now. what could be the end of an era. now for years, california public school students have put pencil is to paper to fill in the little bubbles. those standardized tests may be on their way out. they're set to expire next year. now the state sucht schools wants to change direction and replace the bubble tests with new tests aimed at really assessing what kids know. and not just what they've memori memorized. in tonight's class action, we share the vision for a new era of testing. >> tom is excited, too. he's proposing ditching those fill in the blank bubble tests. tests designed to measure how well a student is mastering english, math and in some grades science. while he says the tests have served california kids well, it's time to get smarter. >> instead of memorization, multiple choice tests, we'll

have a deeper kind of testing that will go on that will measure a student's capacity for good collaboration, good problem solving, critical thinking. >> the new exams come with open-ended questions and demand deeper thinking. >> how many quarters are in a dollar. how many dimes are in a dollar. it's more important to spend time on do you know percentages, how do you figure a tip. >> the proposed test comes courtesy of smarter balanced, a consortium putting together computerized sams aligned to new academic standards being adopted by nearly every state in the country. there's a hi-tech twist for the first time. it will include video. >> what if you had a problem that said there's five swimmers, the timing clock gets them at .018 second. you can judge who's first, second, third and fourth and fifth. >> the change would likely have a big impact in california classrooms. 15 years of bubble tests have taken a toll. >> the way that the standardized tests as currently designed have

driven instruction at all levels, kindergarten through 1th grade is sad. >> teachers no longer forced to teach to the test would have a lot of learning to do too. >> it's going to force teaches to return to a curriculum that involves a lot more than the regurgitation of memorized information. it's possible the changes that are proposed may change the way that teaching and assessment is done in every classroom in california. >> as for torlakson, he does face hurdles. the biggest one, money. the new testing would cost millions more to grade and require many more computers that some schools just don't have. but torlakson says the time is now and he's optimistic the overhaul is the right direction for california's future. >> are you looking at this as something that's going to have a ripple effect down the road, 15 years from now at california workforce, at the quality of the students that are in

universities and the type of education they're getting, less remediation, all these things that are prevalent in universities now? >> absolutely. it will prepare our young people for graduating into the universities and succeeding there, but more importantly into the global economy. this is critical for the future of our economy. it's good because it will engage students and keep them excited about school, but it's even better when you look at it's important for society and important for our economy. >> so you're taking a long-range view of it. >> absolutely, absolutely. >> so it may be good but it won't be without controversy. and parents may have to brace themselves for lower test scores initially. also not clear how already struggling english learners will actually do on this type of test. next week though, we'll look at teacher evaluations. it's certainly a hot button issue. will these new proposed tests be used to evaluate teachers? join us next thursday to find out. >> let's bring in our chief meteorologist jeff ranieri to talk about the changing weather. >> hey there guys. we do have stronger weather now

starting to develop here in california off to the north. we'll get to that in a minute. let's get to the areas of heavier rainfall developing opt radar. we've been tracking this same area of strong to heavy rainfall offshore for about the past 45 minutes. you can see more developing here right off the peninsula. right now, the zone that looks to get some of this heaviest rainfall as we head throughout the next 45 minutes would be the northern san francisco peninsula. already starting to get wet in the sunset district. this particular potential thunderstorm cell offshore producing .065 inch per hour. we're not done yet with the wet weather with more waves of energy expected tonight. you can see plenty developing offshore that will get the south peninsula and the south bay wet throughout the next six hours. also off to the north, if you know anyone that lives in readi reading, this is a super cell thunderstorm producing hail, multiple lightning strikes. you're noting rotation. your family and friends in

reading could get pummeled here over the next 30 minutes. we're not finding any lightning offshore but we can't rule out the chance here of some thunder and lightning for tonight. keep your eyes to the skies, folks. that is pretty rare weather back in the bay area. wa we have happening is this upper level area of low pressure continually pressing off to the south for tonight. it just has so much upper level energy in the atmosphere, it's taking all the air down an the surface and sucking it up way up towards 20,000 to 30,000 feet. that's going to get out of here as we head throughout tomorrow. then we'll get high pressure in for sunny and cooler weather. so for tonight, what we have happening is that next wave of activity throughout ten and 11:00 will rewet most of the greater bay area. then throughout tomorrow, here's where it gets very interesting. as i've been talking about. we'll have showers at 5:00 and 6:00 in the morning. temperatures in the low to mid 30s. it could produce a slight

rain/snow mix down here in livermore and potentially close to san jose. if you're up early tomorrow morning, 4:00, 5:00, 6:00 and you've got rain drops, look as those closely. you may get a little bit of some snow flurries mixed in. 34 in santa rosa tomorrow to start. 35 in livermore and san jose. daytime highs top out in the low to mid 50s. and you'll need that jacket, of course. as we look at that seven-day forecast, what we're going to be noting for this weekend is some drier weather saturday and also sunday and even into monday. i want to stress, if you know anyone in a car on interstate 5 heading towards reading, that is one serious thunderstorm cell. we showed you, you should definitely call them and let them know that weather is heading their way. >> thanks, jeff. >> go to sports. >> i noticed with the celebrities in town, he wears his pink ensemble.

>> very flashy. >> i'm glad you noticed. all right. let's get to sports. pro-am going on this week and the celebrity sightings in full force. stars from the world of sports and pop culture colliding sometimes with hilarious outcomes. sometimes it just produces bad golf. in the end, it's usually the real golfers that make it an interesting event. let's go down and watch. shall we? first round at&t pebble beach pro-am, taking place in the monterrey enpen, everyone enjoying the action. how about larry participating once again? bill murray decided to sign a fan's forehead and sweatshirts. he's a little crazy. pro-am needs bill. a moment like that every year. ray roman know hanging out with huey lewis, then hit a great shot from the bunker. he was playing his first round. everybody loves that shot. see what i did there? out of the professionals, last week's winner phil mickelson, eagle chip on number 10. he would make birdie. finished 1 under on the day.

that's golf. former cal bear, a guy by the name of james hahn, internet sensation, he used to tell women shoes, picture perfect birdie putt. 1 under par first round for hahn. almost.everyone is trailing hunter mahan, birdie at number 11 at pebble tied for the lead with russell knox after round one at 6 under par. >> well, it's the biggest thrill. we didn't play pebble in the practice rounds because i've played in so many u.s. opens and things like that. nothing prepares you for playing holes like 6, 7, 9, and 10 i don't think. the first time you play them you're constantly looking around at the breathlessness of the surroundings. >> on to football. quarterback joe flacco is making headlines for comments made during the final play of sunday's super bowl. flacco was wearing a microphone for nfl films and told teammates

that if ted ginn junior broke free, they should run onto the field and tackle him to prevent a game-winning touchdown. he was serious about that. the referee could have awarded the touchdown. still intriguing video. 49ers quarterback colin kaepernick did something intriguing, as well. he doesn't have the ring but he does have a new tattoo. kaepernick tweeted out this picture today showing off the new look. evidently it's the chain look that he has around the collarbone there, which is really something because i too tweeted out a shirtless picture of 3450e after the super bowl, but it got a lot less attention. that's a look at sports for now. mo knows, maybe you'll find it by 11:00. >> he was passed out in bourbon street. that was the picture. >> that's a picture? >> very good. very good. without the pink shirt, yes, you are right. on bourbon street. >> you got jessica's attention talking about james from cal. he used to sell women's shoes at nordstrom. all of a sudden she perked up.

>> it's very true. >> and he can play golf. >> there you go. i like it. way to go, guys. >> thank you, jim. for a full half hour of sports coverage watch comcast sports bay area tonight at 10:30. >> we'll be right back.

tonight at 11:00, we'll be following the desperate search for former lapd officer chris dorner. also, how a bay area police department tries to protect its officers' privacy. >> let's check in with jeff one final time. the next couple of hours and days will be treacherous? >> that's right. it the heavy rain starting to move into san francisco. we also brought you earlier a thunderstorm cell moving right along interstate 5.

if you know anyone in reading, they reabout to get slammed with a big-time storm that could produce a tornado. we've been noting rotation in that storm. close to the interstate 5 corridor. we clear out and dry out as we head throughout saturday, sunday, monday, and tuesday. keep that jacket handy. >> an active weekend for a lot of people. >> hope to see you tonight. >> that's going to do it for us. bye-bye.

[captioning made possible by warner bros. domestic television distribution] >> now on "extra," lindsay lohan totally broke and living back home with her mom? >> moving back to new york. >> a.j.'s got her on today's front page headlines. she's sleeping in her teenage bedroom with her mother on guard. >> i have been trying to get her out here for five years. >> governor chris christie shut up weight war, a feeding frenzy for the late-night comics.

>> christie got a lot of dirty looks today when he went to mcdonald's, arby's, wendy's. >> rihanna back with chris brown before the judge. the new clues rihanna and chris brown might perform together at the grammys. >> who are you gonna take? >> who's adam's hot date, plus the grammy's shocking wardrobe ban to avoid a flesh show on the red carpet. >> since you might not see it this year, we're going to look at the sexiest grammy dresses of all time. >> our a-list interview with sean penn from his mission in haiti to his love life and the question that backfired big-time. >> whoa, yeah. >> those are my children. >> plus, leno spoofing the super bowl kiss everyone's talking about. >> i dare you to beat that with someone in the crowd. >> it's on. >> hey, everyone, welcome to "extra" at the grove, i'm mario lopez. >> and i'm maria menounos. the late-night guys skewered jeey